Separable Coupling Set for Image Forming Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rotation irregularities in image carriers and intermediate transfer bodies in color image forming apparatuses lead to color registration failures due to accumulated gear tolerances and one-point abutment in coupling connections, causing image defects and blurred images.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of couplings with multiple abutting surfaces and angle differences between the drive-side and image carrier-side couplings, allowing for play and ensuring multi-point abutment to prevent one-point contact, thereby reducing rotation irregularities and maintaining synchronized surface velocities between image carriers and intermediate transfer bodies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a gear train with multiple gears is used to slow down rotation from the main motor to the image carrier, then the rotation speed is reduced to match the intermediate transfer body, but accumulated tolerances in each gear cause rotation irregularities
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling connection is segmented into multiple abutting surfaces instead of a single point contact. This segmentation distributes the rotational transmission across multiple contact points, preventing the accumulation of tolerance errors at a single location and reducing rotation irregularities while maintaining the gear train's speed reduction function.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling surfaces are designed with specific local geometric qualities (abutting surfaces at different angles) to optimize the transmission of rotational motion. This local quality enhancement at the coupling interface compensates for the accumulated tolerances in the gear train, improving rotation precision without changing the overall gear configuration.
2Device complexity
If couplings with one-point abutment are used to connect the drive section and image carrier, then the structure is simple, but rotation irregularities occur due to one-point contact
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling connection is segmented into multiple abutting surfaces instead of a single point contact. This segmentation distributes the rotational transmission across multiple contact points, preventing the accumulation of tolerance errors at a single location and reducing rotation irregularities while maintaining the gear train's speed reduction function.
3Manufacturing precision
If the linear velocities of image carriers and intermediate transfer body are matched precisely, then color registration is improved, but rotation irregularities in either component cause the other to fail to follow, resulting in blurred images
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling surfaces are designed with specific local geometric qualities (abutting surfaces at different angles) to optimize the transmission of rotational motion. This local quality enhancement at the coupling interface compensates for the accumulated tolerances in the gear train, improving rotation precision without changing the overall gear configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier rotated by a drive section and carrying a toner image to transfer onto a transfer medium; and a drive-side coupling and an image carrier-side coupling capable of being connected to and being separated from each other by relative movement in a direction of a rotary shaft of the drive section and capable of connecting and separating the drive section and the image carrier. The drive-side coupling has a plurality of abutting surfaces for transmitting a driving force, the image carrier-side coupling has a plurality of abutting surfaces to which the driving force is transmitted, and the drive-side coupling and the image carrier-side coupling have a difference in angles of each of the abutting surfaces of the couplings with respect to a direction in which the couplings are connected to and separated from each other.